“Can we talk about Ash’s Instagram page?” Everly turns her phone around to show me the screen. “It’s basically a shrine of you.”
She’s sitting on my bed while I get ready. “I’m serious. Here’s one of you two at Wild’s last week, another at the arena. You in his T-shirt, you in your scrubs, you, you, you.” She scrolls, calling out recent photos Ash posted. In the weeks since Gabe was fired from the Wildcats, we’ve been enjoying dating in public. And kissing in public. We’re the obnoxious couple holding hands and kissing everywhere we go, and I love it. I can finally shout how great he is to anyone that will listen, but as usual, Ash is one-upping me.
“This one is just a picture of you sleeping.” She huffs a laugh. “You two are disgustingly cute.”
“Thank you.” I spin in front of the full-length mirror in my bedroom to face my roommate. “Do I look okay?”
“No, babe, not okay. You look stunning.” She sits up and crosses her legs. “Where is he taking you?”
“He wouldn’t say.” I turn and smooth a hand over the silky red material. I bought the dress especially for tonight. It’s simple, but formfitting. The straight top cuts low over my cleavage and the hem falls well above my knees. A slit over my left thigh shows a flash of upper thigh. Ash said he wanted to take me on a fancy date, and I was so excited about the idea, I got a little carried away with my outfit. Somehow, I don’t think he’ll mind.
My phone buzzes somewhere. Everly moves around a few articles of clothing to uncover it and hands my phone over.
As I read the text, my stomach flips with excitement. “He’s here.”
I slip on my shoes and grab my purse. Everly follows me out to the living room and opens the door. My boyfriend steps inside in black slacks and a white sweater. His hair is tucked behind his ears and his face is scruffy with the start of a beard.
We stand there gawking at each other for long enough that Everly erupts into giggles.
“Have fun you two.” She whispers as she walks past me, “I predict that dress is off in under five minutes.”
I grab my coat off the hook and shrug it on.
“I am going to have a very hard time being a gentleman,” he says, running a hand over his jaw. “My girlfriend is the hottest woman alive. Or dead. You’re the hottest woman to ever exist.”
Ash drops a soft kiss to my lips, groaning as he pulls away. “All right. You ready for this?”
Hand in hand, he leads me outside. It’s early evening and the sun is just setting. The sidewalk is empty except for two guys standing next to a flashy, turquoise sports car.
They turn as Ash and I walk toward them.
“Dude, sweet car,” one of them says. “I’ve never seen a McLaren in person before. I’ll give you my life savings if you’ll let me sit behind the wheel.”
The other nods. “I’ll give you my girlfriend for a week if you let me drive it. She’s flexible as fuck.” The other smiles, then glances at me. “She’s brunette. You’ll have one of each.”
I think the kid is joking, but it’s hard to tell. My grip tightens on Ash’s hand, and I hear him chuckle quietly.
“My girlfriend doesn’t like to share,” he says, brushing past them. Ash opens the passenger door for me. It lifts instead of swinging out, revealing a snazzy leather interior.
I take a seat and he closes me in, then goes around the front and takes the driver’s seat.
“Did you buy a new car?” I ask, taking in all the shiny knobs and buttons.
“Just borrowing it for the night.”
When he starts the engine, my heart races. Ash waggles his brows with a grin.
He takes me to a new restaurant that opened last week. We’re led to a table near the back and instead of ordering, the chef comes out and says he’s prepared a tasting of all his favorite dishes. My boyfriend does fancy well.
“I have a surprise for you,” he says after we’re alone.
“Another one?”
“Check it.” He removes his left arm from the sweater and lifts it up.
I’m temporarily distracted by his half-naked body, but then he turns and lowers his shoulder. A red heart about three inches tall and wide covers the top of his arm. “It’s you. I mean, it’s in the spot that brought me to you.”
“Ash.” His name is the only word I manage to get out. It’s so sweet and perfect.
Giggling nearby catches my attention and I look over to see two women staring at my boyfriend. Ash notices at the same time and quickly puts his sweater back on with a knowing smirk.
“Always showing off for the ladies.”
“Nah, just for you now, babe.”
After dinner, Ash brings me to an outdoor skating rink. We trade our shoes for skates and I let him lead me around the circle with other couples and families.
“I haven’t skated in a long time,” I admit.
“You’re a natural.” He skates ahead of me and turns backward to stare at me.
“Show-off.”
He stops and when I reach him, he slides his arms around me. “I used to dream about the person I’d end up with, and about bringing them here, skating around the rink together while holding hands. Being that cheesy couple that stops every few minutes to kiss.”
He kisses me before continuing. “And then someday bringing kids here, teaching them how to skate, and boring them with memories of dating their mom in this very spot.”
“It sounds perfect.”
His grin widens. “I think I’m living it right now and it’s even better than I imagined.”
I have butterflies in my stomach. He’s right. It’s all been so much better than I ever dreamed it could be with someone.
“By any chance did your dream include a gaggle of teenage boys tripping over themselves to say hello.” I tip my head in the direction of the group heading for us.
“Someday all that will fade. But me and you…I can see us in the distance.”
My heart flutters and I skate backward to make space for the kids to approach him. “Then you better enjoy it now.”
For several minutes, Ash chats with the boys, smiles for photos, and signs autographs.
He glances over his shoulder at me, and I give him a reassuring smile. I could watch him like this forever. He’s so good and wonderful, and I’m thrilled that other people get to experience it.
“I gotta get back to my girlfriend,” he says finally. “Nice to meet you guys.”
He skates back to me, smiling in a content way that he does when he’s playing hockey or interacting with fans. It truly lifts him up.
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be. You made their day.”
He joins our hands and then lifts them to place a kiss on my fingers.
“I used to dream about the kind of guy I’d end up with, too. What he’d look like, where he’d take me, and all the sweet and romantic things he’d do.”
“Yeah?” One side of his mouth quirks up.
“Yeah.” I nod. “And you’re so much better.”
